# Mikel Arteta Warned He’s a ‘Victim of His Own Success’ as Fan Pressure Mounts

The pressure is mounting on **Mikel Arteta** at Arsenal, with former Gunners striker Paul Dickov suggesting the Spanish manager has become a ‘victim of his own success’ and could face a fan backlash if a major trophy isn’t secured in the near future. While Arteta has transformed the club’s fortunes and culture since his arrival, the very progress he has engineered has raised expectations to a level where near misses are no longer celebrated, but scrutinized.

When Arteta took the helm in December 2019, he inherited a club in disarray, disconnected from its fanbase and languishing outside the Champions League places. He quickly delivered an FA Cup and a Community Shield, providing an initial taste of success. More importantly, he began a meticulous squad overhaul and cultural reset that has turned Arsenal back into genuine Premier League title contenders. However, after two consecutive second-place finishes behind Manchester City, the narrative is shifting from one of progress to one of unfulfilled potential.

## Why Mikel Arteta is a ‘Victim of His Own Success’

According to Paul Dickov, who spoke exclusively to **GOAL** in association with IgnitionCasino, the upcoming 2025-26 season is a pivotal, “make or break” campaign for the manager. The crux of the issue is that Arteta has raised the bar so high that anything less than major silverware is now seen as a disappointment.

“It is. I think Mikel has been the victim of his own success,” Dickov stated. “If you look at where the club were when he took over, with the amount of players, it’s virtually a brand new team. The biggest thing is, he has changed the mentality of the club as well. I know they haven’t won anything [major recently], but they are up there competing. They were nowhere near when Mikel took over.”

This transformation is the core of Dickov’s argument. Arteta has not just improved results; he has instilled a winning mentality, a clear tactical identity, and re-established a powerful bond between the team and the supporters at the Emirates Stadium.

### A Unified but Demanding Fanbase

One of Arteta’s greatest achievements has been galvanizing the Arsenal fanbase. The toxic atmosphere that often plagued the latter years of Arsène Wenger’s reign and the entirety of Unai Emery’s tenure has been replaced by a fervent, unified support system. The Emirates is now a fortress, largely due to the connection Arteta has fostered.

“More than anything else, which may change if they don’t win anything next season, he has got the Emirates and the fans on side – which is a big, big thing,” Dickov explained. “The fans, there was a big disparity between the fans and the team when he came in. He has brought that back.”

However, this passionate support is a double-edged sword. It is built on the belief that the team is on the cusp of greatness. After pushing a historic Manchester City side to the final day of the season for two years running, the patience for being ‘best of the rest’ is wearing thin. The same fans who roar the team on will be the first to voice their frustration if the club stagnates. Dickov warns that this hard-won support could fracture if tangible success doesn’t materialize.

“At the same time, it is harsh but he probably does have to win something next season otherwise people will start asking more questions and the pressure will be on,” he added.

### The Final Step: From Contenders to Champions

The 2023-24 season was a case in point. Arsenal were magnificent, winning 28 league games and pushing the title race to its absolute limit. Yet, they finished as runners-up. Their return to the Champions League was promising, but ended in a tight quarter-final defeat to Bayern Munich. For a club of Arsenal’s stature, being close is no longer enough. The challenge for **Mikel Arteta** is to find the final ingredient needed to get over the line.

Much of this responsibility will fall on the club’s activity in the summer transfer market. The need for a world-class, prolific No.9 to complement the likes of Bukayo Saka, Martin Ødegaard, and Kai Havertz has been a topic of intense debate. While Havertz performed admirably in a forward role, the consensus is that a clinical finisher could have made the difference in key moments. Securing the right players this summer is paramount to taking that final, most difficult step. The current squad, built around a core of Declan Rice, William Saliba, and Gabriel Magalhães, is strong, but evolution is necessary to conquer the Premier League and Europe. Find out more about the manager’s journey on his official Premier League profile.

As Arsenal prepare for a pre-season tour that includes a North London derby against Tottenham in Asia, the focus is already shifting to the new campaign. It begins with a blockbuster opening fixture away at Manchester United on August 17, a match that will immediately test the team’s title credentials. For **Mikel Arteta**, the mission is clear: the time for building is over, and the era of winning must begin. The foundations he has laid are exceptional, but a manager at an elite club is ultimately judged by the trophies in the cabinet. Check back for more news as the season approaches.